Let The Winter Storms Begin!

 We heard on the news tonight that new shelters are being opened for the victims of Sandy, the storm that blew through New Jersey and New York a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday we heard a lady on Long Island complaining about being cold because the power company didn't care about her.

The wood shed

We have lived through several tropical storms and hurricanes.  We deeply sympathise with everyone effected by such natural disasters.  However, the fact that it has been over two weeks since the storm, I got thinking.

 Part of the pile

Late this summer we purchased a load of firewood.  We had to haul it from near the street, split it small enough to fit in our small wood stove, and stack it.  There is something to the saying that fire wood warms you several times.

One way wood keeps you warm

The primary reason for the firewood was Bret likes to keep the thermostat low during the wintertime.  I like to be comfortable. The fire keeps the house warm while Bret keeps the electric bill low.

The wood shed again 

We both enjoy a good, warm, and glowing fire.  There is nothing quite like an evening relaxing in front of the fire.  We have already had several fires this fall.  Winter is coming but to date we haven't turned on the furnace yet.  A fire takes off the chill and makes our home comfortable.

 The Porch

Now, back to the storm.  If by chance we have an unusually bad winter storm this year, if the power is out and the power company struggles to put it all back together so we have no power for two weeks, We (nor our neighbors) will not be telling some news reporter that we are cold. 

Tomatoes and Spaghetti Sauce

We love tomato season.  We enjoy tomato sandwiches, BLTs, fresh tomatoes, etc. etc. etc...

This year we enjoyed more tomatoes than we have had for a long time if not ever.  One of our favorite things to do with tomatoes is make spaghetti sauce.  Here is how we do it.

Pick a bunch of tomatoes.

Peel.

Cook some onions.

Add a bunch of spices.

 Add some bell peppers.

Add a bunch of chopped up tomatoes.

Cook for a long time.



Cook longer.



Put it in jars and hot water bath.


Here is the recipe from "American Country Living, Canning and Preserving"

3 T olive oil

3 Onions, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T fresh basil chopped or 1 T dried basil
3 T minced parsley
25 to 30 tomatoes
2 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar
1 T plus 1 t beef bouillon

Add oil to a 6 quart pot.
 Mince onions and garlic in food processor and saute' in oil until transparent.
Add basil and parsley.
Peel tomatoes (dip in boiling water 15 seconds and peel) and process until like juice.
Add to pot with onions and herbs.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
Cook on low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring often.
When sauce is done, ladle into hot jars to within 1/2 inch of top of jar.
Clean rims and seal.
Process for 45 minutes in a water bath canner.


We actually use this recipe for a start but we have learned in is very forgiving if you want to be creative.  We like peppers so we add bell peppers.  We chop up the tomatoes instead of using the food processor.  Less of a mess and they cook down anyway.  One batch we didn't have enough fresh onions so we used dehydrated onions from our food storage.  They worked great.

We have learned that if the sauce is thinner than you like, either cook it longer or add a can or two of tomato paste or both.
 

 We are ready for all the spaghetti or pizza or lasagna or whatever else needs sauce that we want to eat this winter.  Sooo Good!

Greenie Beanies

Green beans have been a long time staple in our household.  We like them, they are easy to grow, easy to put up.

Green beans are about as easy to can as anything that can be canned.






 Here is the recipe

1.  Pick and snap beans.  Pull strings if needed. (or grow string less beans and pick them  young)

2.  Pack beans into jars.

3.  Add one teaspoon salt for quarts or 1/2 teaspoon for pints.

4.  Fill jars with hot water.

5.  Process under 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes for quarts and 20 minutes for pints.

-

Preparation is simple.  Warm and serve.  Adds.color, vitamins, and taste to any meal.

Summer's First Tomato

First Tomato Picked this Season!

One of the sweet pleasures of life is the first tomato of the summer.

Here is the recipe.

1.  Slice or  cut into wedges.  (optional)

2.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (If desired)

3.  Eat. 

Ready to Eat!!

More about canning spaghetti sauce etc. later, but for today, we will simply enjoy:)

Longing for Strawberries

Our strawberry box

Strawberry season is my favorite time of year!

It has been three or four weeks since we ate the last of the summer's strawberries.  It was a wonderful strawberry season.  The weather this spring was great for berries and they produced well.  For several years we have had strawberries in our garden.  Last year we built a new box specifically for strawberries.  We got them in late and they did not do well last year.

 However, this year, they were in the right place at the right time. This year is the first year we have not gone someplace to pick strawberries.  We picked all we needed from our own strawberry box.


For several weeks we ate strawberries with our ice cream, strawberries and cream, strawberries in our cereal, and several versions of strawberry delight.  It is a concoction of cake, cream cheese, whipped cream and of course, lots of strawberries.

Ready for making Jam!

We also made and canned over 20 pints of jam.  If we don't give to many of them away, we will have a nice reminder of my favorite season all winter long.  Something to enjoy while we wait for strawberry season to return again.

The consolation is the blueberries are now ripe.  

Life is good.

A New Venture

I love my family.  I have one sweet husband, four good kids, one and soon to be two grand kids.

I enjoy taking care of my family, cooking, sewing, and smocking.  As a family, we enjoy day trips, picnics, short hikes, movies and just about anything we do together.


This blog will hopefully be a source of sharing some of our good times and thriving life with you.

This post is more of a test run than anything.

Ginger